This invention relates an eyeglass holding device for holding eyeglasses on a necklace.
A common problem for persons wearing eyeglasses is where to temporarily place those eyeglasses when not in use. Many users of eyeglasses occasionally have a need to temporarily remove their eyeglasses, with concurrent need to have ready access to the eyeglasses, generally within easy reach. Eyeglasses are often lost or misplaced when put down in such situations. While a person could place the eyeglasses in a shirt or coat pocket, this is usually inconvenient and often can result in the eyeglasses falling out or in the frames being bent.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,198, an eyeglass holder necklace assembly is described which has a loop suspended on a necklace via a pair of swivel linkers which are rotatable a full 360 degrees, such that twisting or kinking of the necklace is relieved by the swivel linkers. However, the eyeglasses remain freely moveable on the loop, and are only retained by gravity in contact with the loop such that movement can result in dislodgement of the eyeglasses.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an eyeglass holding assembly that can positively retain and hold a pair of eyeglasses within easy reach of the user.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an eyeglass holding assembly which is simple in design and construction, but which provides positive retention of the eyeglasses on a necklace worn around the neck, to prevent loss of the eyeglasses, without the use of any swiveling assemblies.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an eyeglass holding assembly comprising a first element having a first diameter, and a second element having a second diameter, the second diameter being smaller than the first diameter, a hinge fixedly engaged to the first element and hingedly engaged to the second element, the first element having an opening of a size sufficient to accept an arm of a pair of eyeglasses therein, the arm received between the first element and the second element such that the pair of eyeglasses are supported by the first element and are positively retained by the second element in proximity therewith. In a preferred embodiment, the hinge has biasing means for biasing the second element into close proximity with the first element.
Using the present invention, a pair of eyeglasses may be supported by resting in the opening on the first element, the second element disposed in close proximity with the first element to positively engage and prevent substantial movement and dislodgement of the eyeglasses retained therebetween. In the preferred embodiment, the biasing means assists in keeping the hinged second element in an eyeglass retaining position, the biasing force being easily overcome by manual pressure so that the user can easily insert or remove the eyeglasses from the eyeglass holding assembly.